22nd September, 1998.

Hermione sat alone at lunch, lazily playing with her food. 

Her birthday celebration three days ago had left her abuzz with happiness. That was until the nightmare from a few hours ago had snatched that peace away.

She wondered where Ginny, Luna, and Neville were. They should be here.

Her stomach grumbled in protest and she stared at the sausage on her plate defiantly, as if wanting to melt it away with her gaze.

She shouldn't have taken that nap. The nightmare had left her nauseous now, unable to bear even the smell of food surrounding her.

Her head turned towards the double doors of the Great Hall and Hermione almost groaned at the sight of his platinum blonde hair.

Blaise Zabini to his right was talking animatedly to him and Pansy Parkinson but Malfoy's face was blank.

She wondered how Blaise's ebullient energy tolerated Malfoy's gloom.

But her eyes followed their little procession nevertheless.

It had been four days yet Hermione could not shake the interaction from her head. The way he had kneeled in front of the little girl, how he had defended her.

The softness in his voice seemed to echo around Hermione's head right now.

It was ironic. How the bully had now become the defender.

He sat down on his house table with his back to her yet Hermione kept looking. As if she might somehow penetrate his mind and see the thoughts and emotions that he hid so well. The ones she tried so hard to decipher whenever she saw him.

But all she saw was a mask of indifference. Sometimes they would make eye contact from across the room and that mask would be down for the barest of seconds and Hermione would catch a glimpse of hatred. As if even looking at her had somehow tainted him.

No news there, she thought bitterly.

It did nothing to quell her curiosity.

Lost in her head, she didn't notice her friends approaching until Ginny was right behind her.

"You're staring," she whispered in her left ear as she crossed behind Hermione and settled on her right.

Hermione jumped at the voice. She glared at Ginny, trying to calm her heart.

She was so engrossed in her speculations of Draco Malfoy that she had somehow forgotten all about her nightmare.

Miraculously, she was hungry now.

"Where were you?" she asked Ginny as she finally took a bite of the now cold sausage.

She smelled of dirt and rain.

"Outside," Ginny shrugged vaguely and Hermione raised her eyebrow in question.

"So, who were you staring at?" Ginny asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

An attempt to change the topic.

Hermione allowed her to get away with whatever she was trying to cover.

"I wasn't staring at anyone," Hermione said, dumping her cold sausages for the fresh hot ones.

"Was it Zabini?" she asked and then wrinkled her nose at her own suggestion.

"Why would I stare at Zabini?" Hermione questioned, suddenly horrified that someone else might have seen her staring and was making the same assumptions as Ginny.

Ginny shrugged.

Hermione was saved from the trouble of answering by Neville and Luna's appearance.

Neville plopped down opposite to them and Luna followed, blocking her view of the Slytherin table.

She noticed the dirt coating Neville's nail beds. They both had the same smell of rain and dirt clinging to them.

She frowned at Neville as he reached forward to put the lamb chops on his plate.

"Neville," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. She pulled out her wand and wiped his hands clean with a quick Tergeo.

Neville laughed and shrugged under her reprimanding stare.

"What do you have next?" Neville asked her.

"Counseling," Hermione muttered, feeling a little anxious at the prospect.

Ginny and Neville both visibly flinched and Hermione looked from one to the other.

"What?" she demanded, looking at Luna for support but she just shrugged in response.

Ginny and Neville had their first counseling session with Seline Boworthy while Luna and Hermione still hadn't.

"Is she bad?" Hermione demanded, her anxiousness mounting.

"Not bad. She's just very..." Ginny paused, searching for an appropriate word.

"Intrusive," Neville offered and Ginny nodded.

Hermione felt herself relaxing.

"Well, she's a therapist. She's supposed to be intrusive," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Ginny and Neville's dramatics.

"I know but she makes you feel like she's somehow staring into your soul," Ginny said with an exaggerated shiver.

Hermione didn't had the time to ponder it any longer as students started filling out of the Hall.

"I'll see you guys tonight?" she asked and rushed out without waiting for a reply.

She walked all the way to the fourth floor and stopped in front of what once was an empty classroom, used for hiding from Filch or late-night shags among the seventh years.

Hermione had heard that piece of crude information from Ron.

She knocked before pushing the door open. The room was large and airy, well-lit due to the large windows behind Seline Boworthy's desk.

The healer sat shuffling through files, her quill scratching sharply against a blank parchment.

Her blond hair was up in a bun and she wore a blouse of the prettiest green.

"Ah, here it is," she exclaimed with a grin as she beckoned Hermione forward.

The quill stopped working and fell limply to the side with a snap of her fingers.

"Hermione Granger, is it?" she asked and Hermione nodded, settling herself into the plush couch opposite her desk.

Seline Boworthy reached forward and flipped the hourglass upside down. Hermione noticed the silver ring on her finger. It was engraved with something Hermione couldn't catch.

"How are you, Miss. Granger?" she asked pleasantly.

"Very well," Hermione answered, suddenly awkward.

Her blue eyes searched her face and Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her position.

"Are you sleeping well, Miss. Granger?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Naturally or are you using potions?"

"I don't think anyone can sleep without potions these days," Hermione shuffled.

"It's you we are discussing right now. Not everyone else," she said, her eyes trained on her face and Hermione understood what Ginny had meant when she had said the 'staring into your soul' thing.

"I do use a few potions," Hermione admitted reluctantly.

"Like?" she prodded.

Intrusive.

"Dreamless sleep mostly," she shrugged.

The healer remained unimpressed as if she knew Hermione was lying. She looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Hermione gave a defeated sigh.

"I also use calming draught and sleeping draught but not as much."

Seline pulled out a new parchment and snapped her fingers. The quill started writing again.

"Can you tell me how frequently?" she asked.

It's not like you'll let me go without the answers.

"In the last two weeks, I've used eight vials of dreamless sleep, five vials of calming draught, and maybe two or three vials of sleeping draught."

Hermione firmly kept her gaze at the brown particles of sand slipping away in the hourglass, willing them to go faster.

"Hermione, dear, please relax. I'm not judging you," she said as if reading Hermione's mind.

She looked up to see her smiling at her and Hermione relaxed slightly.

"So, where did you get your supply from?" Seline asked.

"I bought it," Hermione shrugged.

"Must have cost a fortune."

"It did but I think it was worth it."

"What will you do once it runs out?"

"I try not to think about that," Hermione commented.

Seline laughed and Hermione passed a reluctant smile in return.

"You need to calm down on the potions. They can have some nasty side effects on your body but I believe you already know that?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well, I won't act like I know what you're going through but I know that you can pull yourself through," she said softly.

Hermione didn't feel reassured.

"Might I suggest something?" The healer asked and Hermione nodded.

"Instead of turning to potions for help during a hard night, turn to your mind instead."

"My mind?" Hermione frowned.

The healer nodded. "Your mind is indeed a powerful thing but it is also easily tricked. You make it believe that the earth is round and you can fall off its edge into a never-ending abyss and it'll make sure you never explore anything more than ten feet away from fear of falling."

Seline's voice had dropped to a lower octave, the tone soft and smooth like butter. It seemed to glide over Hermione's nerves, settling them down.

Hermione listened without blinking, as if mesmerized. There was something magical about the way she was talking and Hermione felt like she had known this woman her entire life.
  
"Take a walk around the dorm. Try to find a peaceful spot there or maybe in your room. Make it your sanctuary. Make it someplace where nothing can hurt you. Make your mind believe that. Once it's calm, sleep is easier to come by."

Hermione nodded, blinking twice to break out of her trance. Selling was looking at her with a knowing smile.

"Trust me, it's a tried and tested method," Seline added with a grin.

It could be worth a try.

"Unfortunately, your time today is up. I'll see you next month?" she asked and Hermione felt a wave of disappointment even though there was nothing she wanted to say to her.

"I'll be in the castle till the 27th. You can come find me if there is anything you want to discuss."

At the beginning of the session, Hermione was sure she wouldn't ever be stepping into this room again but now, she might give it another shot.

Word count: [1,364 words]